1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the a process for the production of cyclohexyl amine by hydrogenation of aniline. More particularly the invention relates to a process wherein the hydrogenation of aniline is carried out in a distillation column reactor having a condensing component in the reaction section of the column.
2. Related Information
Cyclohexyl amine has been produced by a number of processes in the past including amination of cyclohexanol and the hydrogenation of aniline. The major difficulty encountered in the hydrogenation of aniline is the formation of varying amounts of dicyclohexyl amine byproduct.
Catalyst known to promote the hydrogenation of aniline are metals in Group VIII of the periodic table. In the past the proclivity to produce dicyclohexyl amine is rated from the least likely to the most likely as Ruthenium rhodium&lt;palladium=platinum. Supports used for the metals are carbon, barium carbonate, alumina, barium sulfate and calcium carbonate. The supports also affect the production of dicyclohexyl amine in the order carbon&gt;barium carbonate&gt;alumina&gt;barium sulfate&gt;calcium carbonate.